Written by Amelia Barnes
Players competing in the top division of the Victorian Netball League (VNL) this season include athletes as young as 17 dreaming of picking up a Suncorp Super Netball contract, and those who have already lived out their professional sporting dreams.
Among the latter is Heather Oliver, a retired professional basketballer and netballer representing the Bendigo Strikers.
Oliver started playing netball at five years of age and continues to make her mark on the sport 32 years later as a mother of three boys aged 2, 4 and 6.
For most of her basketball career — including seven seasons playing for the Bendigo Spirit in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) — she kept in touch with her netball by competing in the Bendigo Football Netball League (BFNL) in the basketball off-season, picking up two league best and fairest honours in the process.
Oliver retired from basketball in 2018 when beginning to start a family.
“I had this mentality that once you had kids you just couldn’t play high performance sport, because it wasn’t as common for women to have babies and return to the WNBL,” she said. “It was probably just in my own head, but I just didn’t know if my body would be up to it.”
Oliver hasn’t played basketball since retiring, but her love of netball has endured, and she’s continued to play in the BFNL for Sandhurst.
“I just thought, I love being active, I love sport, it’s all I've ever known, so just ticking away at the netball side of things was good mentally for me and kept me fit…
“Netball has always been my outlet… I just didn’t think I would be able to have kids and play sport, but then as I had the boys I thought, I need to do something for me — I need to keep myself active and I want my kids to be able to see me being active.”
Oliver was excited when Bendigo secured a VNL license ahead of the 2024 season, but believed her age might exclude her from making the inaugural squad.
When Bendigo Strikers’ director of coaching Carol Cathcart rang, Oliver thought she was just asking for a teammate’s number.
“She goes ‘No, I want to talk to you!’” Oliver recalled. “It got me a bit excited. I had finished having kids, so I just thought, maybe I do have a little bit of a dabble and just see how I go.”
One of three new franchises to the VNL in 2024, Bendigo Strikers had a strong first season finishing in sixth place aided by Oliver’s court craft and experience.
In 2025, the incredibly versatile netballer has played across goal attack, wing defence and goal defence as required to manage teammates also competing in the Super Netball Reserves competition.
“I put my foot down at midcourt — I refuse centre or wing attack!”
Joining her in the shooting circle this season has been 40-year-old Gabe Richards, another former basketballer who was Oliver’s teammate at Bendigo Spirit.
“She cops all the age jokes now at training instead of me!” Oliver said.
Bendigo Strikers have several up-and-coming players in the Netball Victoria and Melbourne Mavericks’ pathways, and Oliver is proud to support them — even if they occasionally poke fun at her age.
“I'm just really grateful to be part of their journeys. It's awesome seeing the next steps for some of these girls like Zoe [Davies], Char [Sexton] and Teal [Hocking].
“We've got some incredible netballers in Bendigo and in the Bendigo region so it's just awesome seeing them have these opportunities because this wasn't about this wasn't around when I was coming through.
“I think for young juniors in the regional areas of Victoria, they can see a pathway for themselves now.”
Oliver balances VNL playing and training around her part time work as a teacher’s aide and studying teaching.
She’s among a growing cohort of mothers in the league, including Shae Bolton-Brown who plays for Melbourne University Lightning, Kaitlyn Black in North East Blaze and City West Falcons’ Olivia Cameron and Madelyn Romios.
Together, they’re proving the possibilities of playing in the VNL for a variety of ages and life experiences.
“I think it shouldn't really be about age more so than your ability on the court,” Oliver said.
“My team has embraced me and they love hearing the antics of my kids… I’ve found it really inclusive, and all the girls are awesome.”
